The deleterious effects of over-exposure to sunlight are well known. Many dermatologists now advise their patients to minimize exposure to the sun. Nonetheless, many individuals are willing to risk these adverse effects to obtain a suntan. The use of artificial lighting systems which emulate sunlight to effect tanning can lead to similar adverse side effects.
Increased awareness of the harmful effects of tanning by means of radiation, along with a continued desire by many to be tanned, has led to an increased interest in tanning by means of chemical agents. The chemicals which are currently used in chemically or cosmetically tanning human skin include:
A. Agents which react with skin to form a color complex, such as dihydroxyacetone; PA1 B. Bronzing agents such as juglone and lawsome; and PA1 C. Dyes, such as food colorants.
It is also known to use combinations of the foregoing tanning agents to achieve a desired tanning effect.
Until very recently, the only methods available to apply chemical tanning agents have been manual in nature. For example, many commercially available chemical tanning compositions are provided in the form of creams, lotions, and sprays. All known manual techniques for applying chemical tanning agents are unsatisfactory to a greater or lesser degree because they result in streaking and blotching of the skin due to the application of uneven quantities of chemical tanning agents to localized areas of the skin, or due to areas of skin tanning to different degrees even though they were exposed to similar quantities of tanning agents. Undesired streaking or blotching is usually observed when chemical tanning agents are manually applied no matter how careful the manual application may be.
The co-pending application of Thomas J. Laughlin discloses a system for automatically coating the human body which is capable of applying chemical tanning agents to human skin much more uniformly than is possible utilizing manual application techniques. Notwithstanding the highly improved results from the use of the Laughlin system, uneven tanning results can still occur. For example, the skin may be exposed to perspiration, rain, water spray, etc., following the application of tanning agents. Mechanical contact with the skin prior to the completion of the tanning process can also lead to uneven tanning results.
Regardless of the cause, even a minor amount of unevenness in coloration resulting from the application of a chemical tanning agent is considered unsatisfactory. Therefore, a need exists for a process for bleaching chemically tanned skin which can be easily and conveniently used to lighten streaks, blotches and other excessively dark areas resulting from this tanning process. Preferably, the bleaching results obtained by the use of the process are gradual in nature so that the previously excessively dark areas are easily blended with the coloration of surrounding areas, or to the desired color intensity.
The aforementioned tanning chemicals can also color nails. The resulting coloration, which is typically brown, is usually considered cosmetically undesirable. Nails can also be discolored by fungal growth or other nail disorders. The resulting color is usually brown, and in some cases black. There is a need for a bleaching process to return the discolored nails back to their natural color.
The present invention comprises a process for bleaching chemically tanned skin which fulfills the foregoing and other requirements which are entirely lacking in the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspect of the invention, a bleaching agent is applied to selected areas of the skin for between about 30 seconds and about ten minutes and is thereafter removed. In accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention, each application of the bleaching agent results in a reduction of the coloration of the area of the skin to which it is applied by about one or more shades. This allows excessive coloration of certain areas of the skin to be gradually reduced until the color of such areas is matched to and blends with the color of surrounding areas, or to the desired color intensity. The bleaching process can be enhanced in the case of thickened or callous skin by the use of an exfoliating agent in combination with the bleach, along with continuous rubbing during the treatment period. This invention can also be used to bleach nails discolored by chemical tanning agents, by fungal growth, or by other nail disorders. The application time in the case of nails is from about 5 minutes to about 30 minutes, with multiple applications sometimes required. With the proper application, the discolored nail can be bleached back to its natural color.